The invention relates generally to printers and more particularly to a photo printer in an electronic imaging and printing system.
A digital camera captures an image of a particular subject using an imaging system that includes an optical lens and a photosensor array, such as a charged coupled device (CCD). The imaging system xe2x80x9ccapturesxe2x80x9d a set, or frame, of digital image data that represents a particular subject at the time that the frame is captured. Each frame of digital image data is typically stored in a memory of the digital camera for subsequent viewing on a display or downloading to a computer system for editing and printing. Depending on the manufacturer of the digital camera, the frames of digital image data is stored in a particular file format from a number of potential file formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.
One of the advantages of using the digital camera over a photographic camera is that the images captured by the digital camera can be edited and manipulated by a user in various manners. Conventionally, the editing is accomplished using a host computer. The host computer receives the digital image data from the digital camera. After the digital image data is received, the host computer can display a frame of digital image data as an electronic image on a monitor. The host computer can then be utilized to edit and manipulate the electronic image using photo-manipulation software. For example, the software may allow the user to adjust color balance and luminance, to change zoom factors, to adjust the orientation, and to crop the electronic image. The host computer can also print the electronic image using a conventional general-purpose printer or a special-purpose photography printer, such as the HP PhotoSmart Photo Printer, if the printer is attached to the host computer.
Another approach to printing the digital image data is to have a printer that is directly coupled to the digital camera. U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,324 to Barrett describes an instant electronic camera that is directly connected to a mechanical scanning printer. A concern with the Barrett invention is that the electronic image captured by the instant electronic camera cannot be edited and manipulated by a user.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,347 to Bell describes an electronic camera that is directly connected to a database/picture printer. The electronic camera of Bell includes many display windows on the opposite side of a lens assembly for viewing digitally captured images prior to printing or downloading. However, the concern relating to the lack of editing ability of the Barrett invention also exists with the Bell invention.
Still another approach to printing the digitally captured image is to have a printer that is incorporated into the digital camera or is attached physically to the camera housing of the digital camera. U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,676 to Finelli et al. (hereinafter Finelli) describes an electronic camera system with a detachable printer. The detachable printer of Finelli utilizes a self-developing film that is exposed according to the digital image data. Again, the Finelli system does not allow the user to edit the electronic image. In addition, the detachable printer is a dedicated printer. That is, the detachable printer of Finelli cannot be used with any other type of digital camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,409 to Maeda et al. (hereinafter Maeda) describes a still video camera having a printer. In one embodiment, the printer is incorporated into the still video camera. In this embodiment, a television set is utilized to view the digitally captured images. In another embodiment, the printer is a detachable unit. Similar to the printer of Finelli, the detachable printer unit of Maeda is a dedicated printer. Furthermore, consistent with the aforementioned prior art, both embodiments of Maeda do not have editing capabilities.
While the known systems for printing digitally captured images operate well for their intended purpose, an efficient and inexpensive system for editing and printing digitally captured images is desired. What is needed is a non-dedicated printer having editing capabilities that could function without the assistance of a host computer.
A system and method utilize a digital camera-ready printer as a stand-alone device that can print directly from any one of a variety of conventional commercially available digital cameras. The digital camera-ready printer includes a camera interface that can link with a digital camera in different modes to transfer frames of digital image data from a camera to the digital camera-ready printer.
The camera interface can include a cable port, a memory card port, and a cableless port. Using the cable port, a cable such as a serial cable can be utilized to transfer frames of digital image data from the digital camera. Alternatively, the frames of digital image data can be transferred by exchanging a detachable memory card. There are digital cameras that are equipped to store frames of digital image data in such a detachable memory card. The memory card can be inserted into the memory card port of the digital camera-ready printer in order to transfer the frames of digital image data to the digital camera-ready printer. In the preferred embodiment, the camera interface includes an infrared port to establish a cableless link between the digital camera and the digital camera-ready printer. In the most preferred embodiment, the camera interface includes a hot shoe receptor to link the digital camera-ready printer to the digital camera. A hot shoe connection allows a convenient and cost-efficient link between the digital camera-ready printer and the digital camera.
Preferably, the frames of digital image data can be transferred to an internal memory of the digital camera-ready printer without any intervention on the part of the digital camera-ready printer. However, if necessary, the digital camera-ready printer is configured to identify the coupled digital camera in order to initiate transfer of the frames of digital image data. Depending on the identification of the digital camera, the digital camera-ready printer is able to send a signal directing the digital camera to transmit the digital image data.
Contained within the digital camera-ready printer is a processor which is configured (e.g., programmed) to convert the original image file format of the digital image data into a predetermined format, for example, a JPEG. The processor also has the ability to edit and manipulate an electronic image represented by a frame of digital image data. A user interface and a display device integrated onto the digital camera-ready printer allow a user to view the electronic image and input the desired commands for editing and manipulating the electronic image. In a preferred embodiment, the display device includes a thumbnail display feature. The thumbnail display feature allows the user to view a number of electronic images, simultaneously, and facilitates a convenient means for the user to select a particular image for editing and/or printing. The editing and manipulating functions may include image cropping, image rotation, luminance alteration, zoom factor adjustment, and color adjustment. In the preferred embodiment, the display device is a liquid display device (LCD). In the most preferred embodiment, the display device is a 4 in.xc3x974 in. (10.16 cmxc3x9710.16 cm) color LCD which provides a high resolution electronic image.
A printer driver is contained within the digital camera-ready printer to drive a printing mechanism in order to print a hard copy of the image on a recording medium. Preferably, the digital camera-ready printer utilizes color inkjet technology for the printing operation. In the preferred embodiment, the resolution of the printing mechanism is of photographic quality with 600 dots-per-inch (dpi) or greater.
The method according to the invention includes steps of capturing an image represented by a frame of digital image data and storing the digital image data in the internal memory or the detachable memory card. The steps of capturing and storing can be repeated to acquire additional images. After capturing and storing, the next step involves receiving the frame of digital image data by the digital camera-ready printer through the camera interface of the digital camera-ready printer. If necessary, the digital camera-ready printer identifies the coupled digital camera in order to instruct the digital camera to transmit the frame of digital image data. The frame of digital image data is then converted to a predetermined image file format if the file format of the image data is different from the predetermined image file format utilized by the digital camera-ready printer. Next, the frame of digital image data is displayed as an image on a display device, allowing a user to view changes as an electronic image is edited. The final step according to the method is printing the electronic image onto a recording medium.
An advantage of the present invention is that a host computer is not needed to interface between the digital camera and the digital camera-ready printer in order to edit and manipulate the electronic image. Thus, the digital camera-ready printer enables an inexpensive method to edit and print electronic images captured by the digital cameras.
Another advantage of the invention is that the absence of the host computer simplifies the printing procedures, because the user does not need to learn a sophisticated photo-manipulation program in order to view and edit the captured electronic images.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the digital camera-ready printer is not dedicated to a particular type of digital camera, so that the user has the ability to print from a variety of digital cameras on the market. That is, the printer is not manufacturer-specific.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that the digital camera-ready printer eliminates the need for a cable. An exchange of a memory card or a link utilizing the infrared, radio frequency, or the hot shoe connection allows a convenient method to transfer digital image data from a digital camera to the digital camera-ready printer.